Conventional socket wrench handles are constructed to provide leverage for turning the socket which is attached to the handle. The greatest application of torque can be applied by use of a breaker bar with a ninety degree socket connection. However, a ratchet mechanism may be typically located above the socket, and the handle extends radially away from the axis of socket rotation. In that way, swinging of the handle about its axis turns the socket. The ratchet mechanism is employed to permit swinging through a limited arc to effect rotation of the socket, and also to allow a lost motion movement where the handle is returned to its original position without moving the socket in the reverse direction.
Socket wrenches of this type often include a means for speed-driving of the nut once it has reached the finger tight position. That is, the higher torque ratcheting function is used either to tighten the nut from finger tight or to loosen it from fully tightened to finger tight. Thereafter, the ratcheting function is no longer used and the wrench employs another mechanism for further loosening or tightening of the nut. Often, this mechanism is a ninety degree drive consisting of bevel gears. An example of such a bevel-gear drive in combination with a transverse ratcheting function can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,701,490, 3,733,936, 4,086,829, 4,128,025, 4,262,561, 4,406,184, 4,907,476. In these wrenches, a bevel gear drive is employed to give the torque applied to a rotating handle a ninety degree rotation to allow for driving of the socket and speed tightening or loosening of an already loosened or tightened nut, respectively. However, these bevel-gear arrangements do not provide for enough external torque to be applied to the nut to fully loosen it or loosen it from fully tightened. As such, these wrenches must include the ratcheting function which provides for greater leverage and thus torque on the nut. However, these combined ratchet and bevel-gear drive wrenches suffer from the same drawback as conventional ratchet wrenches. That is, they cannot be effectively used if the available space is too limited to permit effective swinging of the handle. Further, provision of one set of components for speed loosening and another set for high-torque loosening or tightening is wasteful, and it would be desirable if a single set of components could provide both functions.
An example of a bevel-gear wrench that does not also employ a transverse ratcheting function for high-torque situations can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,089 to Scott. However, the device disclosed in that patent includes a circumferential ratchet which provides a ratcheting function upon twisting of the handle. Thus, the torque applied to the rotating bevel-gear drive is carried through a ratchet. Again, such a configuration has more moving parts than are desirable and it would be preferable to provide fewer parts that give the same performance. Further, use of such a ratchet requires some degree of play in the ratcheting mechanism. In high speed use, such play can lead to unwanted slop. Further, ratchet mechanisms do not provide for a large amount of contact between the pawl and the ratchet wheel being controlled. When high torques are applied, the small contact area can lead to possible stripping of the ratcheting mechanism.